Powder box



United States Patent 3,103,224 POWDER BGX Harry S. Dearling, New York, N.Y., assignor to Charles of the Ritz, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 82,073 Claims. (Cl. 132-32) This invention relates to a new type of powder box or the like, designed for containing and. merchandising fine talcum, bath or face powders, or similar materials. In the usual type of powder box known to the prior art, the powder box is loaded into a card-board drum with a paper closure on one end of the drum. The drum is kept in an upside down position and the powder box in upside down position is then placed over the drum. The box and loaded drum are then inverted and the paper closure retains the powder Within the box. A cover is then placed over the box and drum combination and the packaged powder box is complete. This prior art device has many disadvantages which will be pointed out hereinbelow.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new type of powder box or the like, which may be loaded in upright position. It is a further object of my invention to provide a powder box which eliminates the drum and paper closure of the prior art. It is also an object of my invention to provide such a powder box which may be opened to dispense some of the powder contained therein and then positively closed again by the user. It is still another object of my invention to provide such a powder box with a separate compartment to contain a powder puff. Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the specification hereinbelow.

In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a prior art powder box with a cover in an extended position with the paper closure torn for dispensing powder;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional View of a prior art powder box, such as the one shown in FIG. 1 inverted with the drum and paper closure resting on a surface and the box in extended position prior to being placed over the loaded drum;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional View of my new powder box with the cover partially in place; and

FIG. 4 is a detail perspective view of the fit on fit gasket assembly of my device, with the cap in extended position.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The unusual prior art powder box shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprised a box portion 10, made of cardboard or similar substance, a cover 11, also made of cardboard or a similar substance and a cardboard in a drum 12. The inner drum 12 had a paper closure 13, glued or .aifixed to one end thereof. The end 14, opposite the paper closure 13 remained open.

The following method was used to load or place face powder, bath powder or the like in the powder box: An operative placed the said drum 12 on the surface 15, with the paper closure 13 down against the surface 15. A proper quantityof powder 16 was then loaded into the inverted drum 12. Then the cover was placed in inverted position over the drum 12, and pushed down in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2 until the bottom 17 of the cover 10 reached the ends 18 of the drum- 12.

The assembled loaded powder box was then inverted and a cover 11 placed over it.

In order to secure a tight closure and fit between th drum 12, and the box 10, -a piece of string or cord 19,

was wound around the drum 12 and retained in place by a strip of paper a which was glued to the drum 12, when the box 10 was fitted over the drum 12, the cord 19 and paper 2011 would be between the box and the drum and would act as a close friction fitting material.

The prior art devices as described had the following disadvantages. Once the paper drum was broken to dispense the powder, the box could no longer retain the powder securely. There was no provision for keeping a powder puff within the package, apart from the loose powder. There was no provision to keep a portion of the powder in a separate compartment in the box away from the main supply of powder. Perhaps the most-important disadvantage was that a quantity of the powder 16 was lost, dissipated and spread around the loading table resulting from the air pressure created from the act of placing the box 10 over the open end '14 of the drum 12. I have eliminated these disadvantages with my new powder box.

My invention comprises a body portion such as a box I 20 with a cylindrical body 21, and a bottom 22. While I show the preferred form as .a cylindrical box, the box 20 may be made square or in any other shape popular for a powder box or the like. There is also a closure means such as cover 23. The box 20' and the cover 23 are made of a strong, fairly rigid plastic material, such as a high impact plastic. Examples of such materials and modified styrenes and polystyrenes and in particular, a material such as Bakelite TMD 2155 and/or the Mons-antoLustrex plastics. The box 20 and the cover .23 may also be made of a rigid metal, such as aluminum, galvanized iron, steel or the like, or a hard rubber material.

I also provide closure holding means such as a gasket 24 having an inverted U-shaped flange 25 and a central opening 26. The gasket '24 is made of an elastomeric material such as polyethelene, or polyvinyl. The gasket may also be made of rubber or any other soft resilient material.

The gasket 24 has a cap 27 with a tab 28 designed to fit into the opening 26 of the gasket 24. The cap 27 is made of a hard material, such as one of the materials mentioned above.

The U-shaped flange 25 of the gasket 24 has sides 29 and 30 which fit snugly over the ends 31 of the cylindrical body 21 of the box 20. It has now become apparent that I use the principal of fit on fit of a soft material such as an elastomeric material (of the gasket 24) over a hard material, such as the high impact plastic (ofthe powder box 21). The cover 23 also of high impact plastic, a hard material, is designed [to fit closely over the soft material of the side 30 of the U-shaped flange 25 of the gasket 24.

The soft on hard fit ion fit provides a positive closure and holding means, which nevertheless permits the elements to be slip-fitted for opening and closing. By providing this soft on hard fit on fit I have been able to eliminate strutting or vertical ribbing of the box 21 or the cover 23 to provide a proper fit.

The cap 27 pinch fits into the opening 26 of the gasket 24 and can be removed easily by grasping the tab 28 between the thumb and forefinger of the hand. The cap 27 may be replaced by forcing it into position into the opening 26 by pressing with the thumb or one of the fingers.

My new construction has the following advantages: It eliminates the paper drum of the prior art; the gasket 24 and the cap 27 may be left on permanently to enclose the powder 16. By this I mean that the cap 27 can be removed to dispense some powder, it can then be replaced and be a positive fit to keep the balance of the 3 powder 16 in the box 21. When the cap 27 is replaced, and the cover 23 is put on the box 21, it may be placed in a suitcase or any other travelling case, with assurance that the powder will not be spilled on to clothing or other articles in the case.

The cap 27 can be removed and a certain amount of powder can be placed in the cover 23. Then the cap 27 can be replaced and the powder placed back over the cap 217 from the cover 23. A puif 32 can then be placed over the gasket 24 and cover 23. The amount of powder left over the gasket 24 and cap 27 can then be used up and another amount of powder can then be placed separately over the gasket 24 in the same manner.

It is also apparent that my construction provides a place for a puff 32 over the gasket 24 and under the cover 23. In addition, and perhaps the most important feature of my invention, is for easier loading. The powder 16 is loaded into the box 20 in upright position and then the gasket is placed over the box 21 without creating air pressure problems. None of the powder 16 will be spilled or blown about in closing the box 21 with the gasket 24.

The fit on fit feature of my device, gives the powder box a tight seal. The same tight seal remains during the life of the box and the powder contained in it no matter how many times the box is opened to dispense powder.

While I have described my invention in its preferred form, it may take other forms, and it may be put to other uses, without departing from the spirit of the invention; and I therefore desire to be protected for all forms coming within the claims appended below.

Wherefore, I claim:

1. A container comprising a body portion, made of a material, having at least one Wall at least one opening and closure means for the opening, made of a material; in combination with gasket means made of a material harder than the said material of the body portion and harder than the said material of the closure means; said gasket means having a thickness less than the thickness of the said Wall and said wall having a uniformly reduced portion relatively as deep as the thickness of the gasket means with at least a portion of the gasket means located within the area of the said reduced portion of the said wall so that the said gasket means and the said wall will have substantially aligned outer surface portions; in which at least a part of the closure means is slide fitted to a part of the said body portion and at least a part of the said closure means is friction slide fitted to a part of the said gasket means. 1

2. The device as defined in claim 1, in which the said gasket means has a central opening with closure means for the said central opening of the said gasket means.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 in combination with a powder puff Within the closure of the device.

4. A container comprising a body portion, made of a material, having at least one wall at least one opening and closure means for the opening, made of a material; in combination with gasket means made out of a material softer than the said material of the body portion and softer than the said material of the closure means; said gasket means having a thickness less than the thickness of the said Wail and said wall having a uniformly laterally reduced portion relatively as deep as the thickness of the gasket means with at least a portion of the gasket means located Within the area of the said reduced portion of the said wall so that the said gasket means and the said wall will have substantially aligned. outer surface portions; in which at least a part of the closure means is slide fitted to a part of the said body portion and at least a part of the said closure means is friction slide fitted to a part of the said gasket means; and at least one powder puff within the said closure means.

5. A container comprising a body portion, made of a material, having at least one wall at least one opening and closure means for the opening, made of a material; in combination with gasket means made out of a material softer than the said material of the body portion and softer than the said material of the closure means; said gasket means having a thickness less than the thickness of the said wall and said wall having a uniformly laterally reduced portion relatively as deep as the thickness of the gasket means with at least a portion of the gasket means located within the area of the said reduced portion of the said wall so that the said gasket means and the said wall will have substantially aligned outer surface portions; in which at least a part of the closure means is slide fitted to a part of the said body portion and at least a part of the said closure means is friction slide fitted to a part of the said gasket means, said gasket means having a central opening with closure means for said central opening of the said gasket means; and at least one powder puff between the said first mentioned closure means and the said second mentioned closure means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,173,235 Nell Sept. 19, 1939 2,305,506 Wilcox Dec. 15, 1942 2,393,578 Waite Jan. 22, 1946 2,449,196 Bent Sept. 14, 1948 2,561,294 Schuler July 17, 1951 2,644,602 Ross July 7, 1953 2,737,189 Morningstar Mar. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 385,392 Great Britain Dec. 29, 1932 439,065 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1935 1,227,748 France Mar. 7, 1960 

1. A CONTAINER COMPRISING A BODY PORTION, MADE OF A MATERIAL, HAVING AT LEAST ONE WALL AT LEAST ONE OPENING AND CLOSURE MEANS FOR THE OPENING, MADE OF A MATERIAL; IN COMBINATION WITH GASKET MEANS MADE OF A MATERIAL HARDER THAN THE SAID MATERIAL OF THE BODY PORTION AND HARDER THAN THE SAID MATERIAL OF THE CLOSURE MEANS; SAID GASKET MEANS HAVING A THICKNESS LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE SAID WALL AND SAID WALL HAVING A UNIFORMLY REDUCED PORTION RELATIVELY AS DEEP AS THE THICKNESS OF THE GASKET MEANS WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE GASKET MEANS LOCATED WITHIN THE AREA OF THE SAID REDUCED PORTION OF THE SAID WALL SO THAT THE SAID GASKET MEANS AND THE SAID WALL WILL HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED OUTER SURFACE PORTIONS; IN WHICH AT LEAST A PART OF THE CLOSURE MEANS IS SLIDE FITTED TO A PART OF THE SAID BODY PORTION AND AT LEAST A PART OF THE SAID CLOSURE MEANS IS FRICTION SLIDE FITTED TO A PART OF THE SAID GASKET MEANS. 